If you haven’t figured it out yet, I will let you know that I can be an extremely opinionated bitch when it comes to skin care, makeup, and what I think. But it doesn’t hurt to do a little bit of research here and there to back a lot of my nonsense up. I have been researching different oils; their comedogenicity, in particular. Comedogenicity basically refers to a product / ingredient’s ability to produce comedones aka cause you to break out.

I have researched a variety of sources online, and some of the results have been rather contradictory. It is important to take into account that just because something is typically comedogenic, doesn’t necessarily mean it will break YOU out.

I wanted to organize the different oils and present them in as simple a way possible to show how likely or unlikely it is that they will break you out. And the sources I used for this include soapnuts.com, momandpopsoapshop.com, and acne.org.

Sweet Almond Oil

Apricot Kernel Oil

Castor Oil

Evening Primrose Oil

Olive Oil

Jojoba Oil

Sunflower Oil

Safflower Oil

Emu Oil

Avocado Oil

Grapeseed Oil

Cottonseed Oil

Mink Oil

Corn Oil

Soybean Oil

Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil

Coconut Oil

Wheat Germ Oil

I was most surprised when I read (from several sources) that coconut oil falls higher on the scale of non-comedogenic to comedogenic. I haven’t used it on my face in quite some time, but I wonder if it was ever a culprit in causing me to break out. I still use it as my only body moisturizer, and rarely ever break out anywhere except my face, so I’d still recommend it as the best moisturizer for the body.

Did you know?

Based on what I’ve read, jojoba oil is considered to be virtually non-comedogenic, and is touted by many experts and professionals as the best oil for anyone who is acne-prone. I don’t find it is hydrating enough for my dry skin (especially since beginning the Acne.Org regimen with benzoyl peroxide), though I have been using a mix of sweet almond, jojoba, and castor oil, and I find this works better to keep my skin hydrated.

Finding out what works for you is largely a trial-and-error process, but it pays off in the long run. Stick to the oils that have a low-clogging probability, and do your best to incorporate one new oil at a time so you can see if you notice the effects (positive or negative) each oil has on your skin.

Okay, so already I spilled my guts about coconut oil, and how much I love it. Don’t be surprised when I bring it up again, like in this post. BUT – I’ve got more for you; I swear.

I went through a shitty, and horribly zitty breakout in July, that seems to finally be tapering down. Typically, I’ll get a zit or two. But this time it was intense, and I felt like a creepy old troll. I found Acne.org, and have since incorporated advice from that site with my own knowledge of what works for me.

There have been three goodies I’ve used in this new routine, and they are affordable, cruelty-free (well fml if that organic virgin coconut oil ain’t cruelty-free), and work better than any expensive high maintenance brand ever has.

The deets: morning, and night, about 5 minutes after cleansing (with a boring, plain, fragrance-free cleanser), I mix about 4-5 drops of the roman chamomile in jojoba oil, with enough coconut oil to slather on my face (play with the amounts until you find what is right for you – enough so your skin feels comfortably moisturized, not tight, and soothed). If I feel the need, I will also will slather on some of the Earth Science Almond Aloe Fragrance Free Moisturizer. This facial moisturizer contains helpful ingredients like hyaluronic acid, jojoba seed oil, panax ginseng root, and licorice root extract! It is gentle enough for sensitive skin, and helped a lot to moisturize and heal all those stinkin’ zits.

GREEN MONSTER!

I have also put an end to all my insanely intense ingredient-packed face masks – except for my DIY clay masks. I have added roman chamomile in jojoba oil (about 3-5 drops), to my green clay paste (which is just green clay + water). The simpler, the better.

My skin feels so much better, and is well on its way to being clear again!

A couple of entries ago (here, if you’d like to read), I posted about how to make your own baking soda, and apple cider vinegar hair washes/rinses. I wanted to post an update about this to explain how I’ve made it work best for me!

For those of us who’ve played around with custom moisturizers, cleansers, hair elixirs, and other DIY goodies, I’m sure we have all realized just how potent and powerful essential oils can be. The point of switching to a “no ‘poo” cleansing method is to cleanse and condition without all the excess product. The last thing we want to do is weigh our hair down!

I no longer add essential oils to the baking soda / water mixture. I just use baking soda and water, and pour enough of the product over my scalp and hair, and gently rub my scalp with my fingers as I wash.

As for the apple cider vinegar rinse – essential oils are completely optional for this too. I used both mixtures sans essential oils for months, and my hair was quite fabulous. I find that the extra moisture does help, though. And I’m always looking for ways to help others make their hair extra awesome.

For myself, I’ve added 1-2 drops of ONE essential oil of my choice into the ACV mixture. I find this isn’t too much, and my hair feels much more weightless than if I’ve added multiple EOs. This is a great opportunity to experiment and see which oil you most prefer! The ACV will handle your hair’s cuticles, detangle, and ensure your hair is fabulously shiny.

It is high time for another crazy rant about my favourite skin care product of all time (and no, it is not something that is available at Sephora): coconut oil. Not only is this a very affordable product, new benefits to consuming this oil are being discovered all the time. I just wanted to share with you some of my favourite ways of using it, and exactly how I work with this tasty (and nutritious) treat.

**Check out my update to this entry here, where I discuss using self-control when one has an essential oil obsession like I do!

Do you use a lot of product in your hair? Is your hair dry, frizzy, and starting to resemble hay? Even if it isn’t, it is important to consider what I’d call a hair detox. I alternate using this hair detox with shampoos and conditioners that are simple and are not harsh. This helps keep your hair looking its best in between haircuts; I noticed so much improvement in my hair’s texture. Not to mention, apple cider vinegar is an amazing detangler, because it helps seal and close the cuticle surrounding the hair shaft; making it shinier, and very easy to manage.

A hair detox, The Classy Anarchist style, is a way for you to keep your hair looking and feeling awesome, without all the shampoos, conditioners, and styling products you typically use. This gives your precious hair time to recover, and

an assortment of essential oils (I used tea tree, lavender, and sea buckthorn)

First, make sure the lemon juice bottles are all rinsed out. One will be used for your baking soda wash (and shampoo replacement), and the other will be used for your apple cider vinegar rinse (conditioner equivalent). Each of these lemon juice bottles holds 440ml. As for the ratio of water: baking soda, and water: acv, I suggest starting out with a ratio of 1 cup water: 1 tbsp baking soda, and the same ratio for water: acv. You can then experiment by adding more or less baking soda / acv to the mix.

Baking Soda Wash:

Pour 1 TBSP baking soda into bottle

Fill almost to the top with lukewarm or cold water (it will just become room temperature anyways, and this is better for your hair cuticle than hot water).

Add in 3-6 drops of your favourite essential oils (I added about 5 drops of tea tree oil to help cleanse my hair and scalp, without being overly drying).

Shake it up! And you’re good to go.

Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse:

Same as with the baking soda wash, except add 1 TBSP acv to the second empty lemon juice bottle.

Fill with cold water.

Top off with some essential oils. I used 5 drops of lavender oil, and 4 of seabuckthorn seed oil. These oils will help soften my hair, help prevent dandruff, and other possible damages. Essential oils don’t have to be expensive (try Vitacost, or Well.ca), so it can be simple and fun to switch it up.

To use your homemade hair detoxes, shower as you normally would. First, rinse with the baking soda mix, while focusing on your scalp. Use just enough to saturate and massage your scalp with (a full preparation of this stuff lasts me about 4-5 washes). Next, rinse with the acv mix, focus on scalp and ends. Once you’ve used enough to saturate your hair, do whatever other shower business you need to take care of, and rinse the acv out of your hair with cold water (this may take some getting used to, but it’s definitely a good refresher in the mornings).

For more information on what essential oils might be best for your hair, check this nifty list out. Go here for some science-y talk about the effectiveness of acv on your hair.

*For those extremely put off by the sent of acv (this scent does not linger in your hair, by the way), you may replace it with white vinegar, or lemon juice. Lemon juice can colour your hair over time (I’ve noticed this on my hair), but when you have dark hair like myself, you ought to use with caution because your hair could turn more orange than the blonde you hoped for.

While I don’t really like getting ripped off, I picked these up at a health food store local to me (one of the many). They were almost 50% off, so I couldn’t resist! Now, I’ve gotten really into wipes for so many things. They’re great for cleaning, but I was always looking for eco-friendly, cruelty-free, and ingredient-quality brands!

Notice how they say they work for hands and face – well boy, did I take advantage of that! They’re great for removing makeup, though I’d use them at most once a day on my face.

There is no alcohol in this product – so it will not dry out your skin like so many skin care cleansers, toners, wipes, moisturizers, etc. And more, its antibacterial qualities will help even better with those blemishes, than a regular facial wipe.

The primary ingredient in these wipes, which provides the antibacterial germ killing property, is thymus vulagris oil, or, thyme (as we know from our mom’s kitchen)! Here‘s some info on thyme’s benefits!

Wipes are convenient, and easy to use. This brand’s kid-friendly, moisturizing, and sensitive skin formula has me sold!

Check out CleanWell’s site, to browse and purchase more of their classy-approved products!

Make sure your face is washed! Use whatever cleanser you enjoy, as long as it cleans well (I’d sure as hell hope it does!).

First, you take the bowl I was talking about, and fill it up with almost boiled water from the kettle!

Then, put a 1-2 drops of your favourite essential oils. Tea Tree Oil is very strong, but great for breakouts, so I use 3 drops at most of it. Add about 4 drops of lavender, and this time I put in 3 drops of seabuckthorn seed oil.

STIR a little bit.

Place the bowl on a desk or table, and pull up a chair. Grab that towel, and put it over your head, as you move your head over (and a little in) the bowl to soak up the steamy essential-oily goodness.

Relax over the bowl for about 10 minutes. You’ll be sweaty. You’ll be dripping. But boy, does it feel good. Once the 10 minutes are up, you can dump the water, and rinse your face with warm water, and dab with a towel. Then you want to pick out your favourite face mask, as you can see me wearing here, and slather on a layer of that.

this gets rid of blemishes, without drying your skin!

Give the mask about 10-15 minutes. Rinse of with warm water and a soft wash cloth.

Dab your face dry, and moisturize your face as per usual with your favourite moisturizer (to moisturize this time I used Yes To Carrots’ Repairing Night Cream (which is amazing).

Now grab your spot blemish treatment!

Apply that as directed (usually a teensy bit directly on the blemishes). For an added touch, spray your face with some rose or lavender water. Curl up into bed! Sweet dreams!

And that’s it. This isn’t guaranteed to get rid of your blemishes in one night, but it speeds up the process tremendously. If you catch the blemish early enough, it very well could put an end to it overnight.

Oils? What’s so good about oils? Won’t they just clog my pores and leave me pimply and gross? Not if you’ve got skin as dry as I’ve got, though even people with oily skin can use oils. They simply have to be a little more sparing with them.

Also, any product I am endorsing here is simply because it works great for me, and I hope it can work just as well for you. I am no expert, I am just expressing my honest opinion.

The first item I’d like to discuss is coconut oil. This multi-purpose wonder product has had me baffled in amazement about it since I discovered it. It’s unique from other oils in that it has a higher melting point. It remains solid until about 76 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes it easy to use as a lotion, that melts in your hand as you rub it into your skin. I have been using certified organic coconut oil (which you can purchase at the grocery store or health food store in a huge tub for $10 or under) for about six months. I initially bought it for its skin care benefits, but then discovered it is also great for hair, and extremely healthy for consumption!

After showering, I get some onto my fingers from the small container I leave in my bathroom, and use it all over. Yes, this product is great for knees, elbows, legs, lips, you name it! It has a very mild coconut scent, and makes your skin smooth and supple. To add extra moisture to my face, I would massage a small amount of coconut oil into my skin along with my regular moisturizer. It can be used with a day moisturizer to work as a night cream, if you’d prefer not to have a separate moisturizer for night. As a hair treatment to moisturize dry and damaged hair, simply rub a small amount into the ends of your hair the night before you shower. Using this once a week has helped my hair with shine and dryness. When it comes to cooking with coconut oil, simply replace whatever other oil you were using and substitute it. Coconut oil, despite the bad reputation saturated fats have received, has been shown by many medical professionals to improve metabolism and promote a healthy weight. Olive oil is also a great oil; they both have their own unique benefits. When shopping for coconut oil, be sure to look for a certified organic brand of coconut oil, as brands that are not certified organic may contain extra ingredients for processing, which you do not want. I store my coconut oil in the fridge for cooking, but have a smaller tub that I put oil in and keep in my bathroom. Here is a link to more helpful information about coconut oil.

Another great oil-based product I have discovered is the Josie Maran Argan Oil line! The Argan Oil Moisture Stick comes in a compact travel-friendly tube that looks like a massive lip balm treatment. It has a very warm and spicy citrus smell, contains several oils including argan and apricot oils. Similar to the coconut oil, I like to use this on different areas of the skin including my face on particularly dry areas. The packaging is extremely convenient, although for the price ($27 at Sephora here in Canada), it is much more expensive than the coconut oil, and it is the brand you are paying for. Josie Maran, however, is a great line if you are willing to invest in it. Her products are organic, natural, recyclable, cruelty-free, petrochemical free, fragrance free, paraben free, and toxin free. If you wish to support a more expensive natural line, I would recommend Josie Maran.

The second Josie Maran product I have tried are the BearNaked Wipes. These cost $15 at Sephora here in Canada, and the package contains 30 wipes, that remove makeup and at the same time moisturize the skin, leaving it soft and clean. These also have the same scent as the Moisture Stick, so if you enjoy it, you may want to check these out. They do remove makeup very well, and I prefer these over the other wipes I have tried (St Ives, Garnier Naturals), because you are getting a decent amount of product on each wipe; and the argan oil is a great moisturizing agent so my skin doesn’t feel completely stripped clean of moisture when I am done. Like the Argan Oil Moisture Stick, the BearNaked Wipes follow the same ethical and organic philosophy. Funds from this product also go towards a charity that helps to educate about Polar Bear endangerment and how we can help. Since I’d rather not get all political on you and go on a huge rant about global warming and how governments are taking advantage of the kind intentions environmentalists and animal rights activists have, and are primarily using global warming and climate change information to get the public to submit to further carbon-regulations and taxes(there I go!), I will simply say that supporting a wildlife charity is great, and any cosmetics company that recognizes the importance of charity and voluntary donation is taking an important step towards creating harmony between products, the consumer, and world peace.

Off my tangent and back onto products, I’d like to talk about the Live Clean Argan Oil hair products, which is a Canadian brand. These items can be purchased at the drugstore. I have see the shampoo and conditioner range from $5.99 to $6.99. I have used the Argan Oil shampoo and conditioner, both which have a light but deliciously soothing smell.

When it comes to hair, argan oil is great for conditioning, shine, and UV protection. I have long, thick, dry-ish hair, and after using these products my hair is easy to brush, smooth, and smells absolutely lovely. Drugstores have been starting to sell organic vegan (Yes! Live Clean’s products are vegan, sulfate-free, paraben free, phosphate free, not tested on animals, and then some!) hair products for the past few years, and they don’t cost much more than their regular hair products. If you have oily hair and feel you’d rather use something less oily, they have quite a few other selections to try. Other organic ethical hair care brands to watch out for in drugstores include: Burt’s Bees, Alba Botanica, Organix, Avalon Organics, and Down Under Naturals. I have dabbled in some of all of these brands and have not been disappointed; you need not go to a salon to purchase a quality ethical hair care product!

So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and pick up some oils and nourish your insides and outsides today!